There has been a question all season long about what the San Francisco 49ers are going to do with their backup quarterback, Mac Jones.
The Atlanta Falcons may have just influenced San Francisco's decision with a move they made regarding Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons restructured Cousins' contract, and the expectation is that Atlanta will release him by March. That could open the door to a reunion with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who is an unashamed Cousins fan.
When Shanahan first took the reins back in 2017, many assumed the Niners would have a rebuild year at first and use Brian Hoyer (or other fill-ins at quarterback) and then would sign Cousins in the offseason after he was set to be a free agent.
Of course, the trade for Jimmy Garoppolo ended up changing that plan, but Shanahan clearly has a ton of respect for Cousins and his abilities dating back to their time together in Washington. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator, and when Cousins became the guy, Washington's offense had solid success and the QB put up some good numbers.
Cousins ultimately ended up signing with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency and had some solid years there, but he ended up going to the Falcons where he was eventually replaced as the starter by Michael Penix Jr.
Penix went down with an injury in 2025, which forced Cousins back into the spotlight. In eight starts, Cousins had a record of 5-3 and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 passing touchdowns compared to five interceptions.
He showed he has a little left in the tank, which may now give the 49ers the ability to trade Jones for a draft pick.
Of course, there is risk in getting rid of Jones. He proved how solid he can be filling in for Brock Purdy this season after Purdy went down with an injury.
But, the Niners clearly have some needs to fill on defense and need more depth on that side of the ball, so they may be better served sending Jones to another team so they can bolster their own in other areas through the draft.
Even if the Niners did that, if they were to sign Cousins as Purdy's backup, then that would make losing Jones hurt a lot less. Cousins is a proven veteran who understands Shanahan's offense, so the drop off between him and Jones would not be that severe.
As long as the 49ers can land Cousins, trading Jones away becomes a much more reasonable move to make, so the Falcons may have done San Francisco a big favor.